My first mistake was speeding in. Shogun Showdown is a sport about planning and endurance. Issues can go from dangerous to useless in only a few turns. Until you are taking a step again and attempt to see the bigger image, it may possibly really feel like an excessively simplistic and needlessly punishing expertise. My first, temporary periods with Shogun Showdown unfold over a couple of completely different nights felt like homework and I’m more and more feeling too outdated for that shit. However I caught with it and ultimately wrapped my head round its elegant mechanics. When Shogun Showdown lastly clicks into place it’s wonderful.
The sport got here out of Early Entry and arrived on PlayStation, Xbox, Change, and PC final month from the small indie dev Roboatino and it’s an extremely intelligent mashup of style bests like Slay the Spire and Into the Breach (I’ve performed 4-5 hours on Nintendo’s handheld the place it’s snappy and vibrant). Your aim is to defeat the evil shogun, however to do this you have to overcome a sequence of more and more troublesome levels the place turn-based fight performs out throughout a tiny side-scrolling 2D battlefield of lower than a dozen areas. Enemies come at you in waves, and when you’ve accomplished every of the fights you progress onto the following node on the world map.
The motion hinges on distinctive talents, objects, and playing cards you accrue over the course of the journey. Easy sword playing cards allow you to deal injury to no matter’s in entrance of you. A bow will allow you to hit a goal at lengthy vary. Extra refined playing cards embrace lightning bolts that solely hit the final enemy within the row or ahead dashes that allow you to transfer behind enemy strains. A small apothecary of therapeutic potions, magic shields, and different consumables provide you with further choices to strategize round. After profitable battles and at relaxation cease outlets you should buy extra stuff or improve the issues you have already got.
However the true factor that makes Shogun Showdown really feel so distinctive and enjoyable is the way in which it forces you to handle house and plan forward by telegraphing what’s coming. The beginning Wanderer class (further lessons with completely different beginning playing cards and perks are unlocked the extra you play) can transfer previous an opponent as soon as each 4 turns. When an enemy is getting ready to assault you’ll be able to scoot previous them and dodge the transfer totally earlier than killing them behind. In the direction of the top of a run, a combo of ahead dashes, again steps, and different maneuvers that double as assaults allow you to management the battlefield like a grasp swordsman, without delay lethal and untouchable.
The place video games like Slay the Spire have you ever making an attempt to craft builds that maximize injury output and Into the Breach rewards you for intricate planning, Shogun Showdown blends these incentives in a approach that feels streamlined but nonetheless diversified and difficult. I additionally benefit from the lack of RNG. Your assaults by no means miss and also you don’t have to fret about drawing the fallacious card on the worst time. The result’s a satisfying mixture of participant empowerment and mechanical limitations. There’s nothing higher than stacking the proper set of strikes collectively after which watching the dominoes fall and clear the battlefield in a single flip.
I’ve solely overwhelmed the sport as soon as to this point, and I instantly needed to return and discover new lessons and deck methods. Past that I can’t converse to the long-term replayability with regards to the roguelike nature of unlocks, hidden secrets and techniques, or potential additional challenges. The bones of Shogun Showdown are nice although, made all the simpler to suggest due to the slick pixel artwork animations and rock-infused, chiptune-y soundtrack. And for now there’s a lot extra playing cards I wish to uncover and experiment with.
